I'm still alive guys! PA school hasn't killed me...yet. Haha! I cannot believe I'm already in the 3rd semester of my first year. For those of you who don't know, the first year is the didactic year and the second year is the clinical year. The didactic year consists of all the bookwork (not that we actually read the textbooks...just the PowerPoints...some of which are basically textbooks). The clinical year consists of our clinical rotations (emergency medicine, OB/GYN, internal medicine, etc.). In the program I'm in, we get to choose 2 elective rotations (cardiology, neurology, plastic surgery, dermatology, etc.). My top choices are dermatology and plastic surgery. I'm crossing my fingers that I will get them!
My second semester was probably a little harder than the first semester because we had cardiology, pulmonology, endocrinology, women's health, and G.I. And that was only for one course. We also had a lot of group projects, which took up some of our time as well. I ended up doing really well, and I was so excited that I reached my goal of a 4.0 GPA for the semester! I'm glad that all the studying I did paid off!
As always, please leave any questions or blog post requests below!
-C
Showing posts with label update. Show all posts
Showing posts with label update. Show all posts
First Semester...Done!
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
I'm finally finished with my first semester of PA school! It has been a whirlwind of studying, classes, and exams. We had 2-3 exams every week and 6 exams during finals week. I'm so glad that we are done with Gross Anatomy! Overall, I am happy with my grades for this semester, and I hope I can do just as well next semester. Next semester we start our pre-clinical rotations. They are basically shadowing experiences, but we might be able to help out depending on the provider we are with and our comfort level.
I'm so happy to be home for 3 weeks, but it is definitely weird not having Gabby around. I keep wanting to go look for her in the basket under my sister's bed... and then I realize she's gone. This is the first time in my entire life that my family does not have a pet in our household. The house feels so empty. Okay...enough of this depressing stuff!
On to something that I have been obsessing over...You guys need to watch the indie movie "Copenhagen"! Danielle told me about it, and I have been obsessed with it! It is thought-provoking and makes you feel every emotion. I have also been obsessed with a song featured in the movie called "Vi to Er Smeltet Sammen." It is in Danish and I don't understand what they are saying, but I still love it.
I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!
-C
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Long Overdue Update!
Thursday, November 5, 2015
Hi everyone! I'm still alive! PA school hasn't killed me...yet. Haha! I'm sorry I haven't updated in quite some time. I have been super busy with school and school comes first! We are more than halfway through our first semester, and I cannot wait until our break in December!
The most difficult class for me has been Gross Anatomy. I mean...I'm doing okay in the class I guess, but I just hate getting anything below an A. I did really well in my anatomy class in undergraduate, so it just really bothers me. I think it is a combination of the professor and the amount of material in such a short period of time (...but mostly the professor...since there is a lot of material in the other classes and I'm doing well in them). I definitely recommend reviewing anatomy before starting PA school, especially if it has been awhile since you took the class in undergrad! If I had done that, maybe I wouldn't be having such a hard time in the class. I'm just glad that we will be done with Gross Anatomy after this semester!
We had our second Physical Diagnosis lab practical earlier today. It was on the Lungs/Thorax, Heart/Peripheral Vascular, and Abdomen. We had 30 minutes to do it. I did pretty well on it, but I made a couple stupid mistakes because I was so nervous. I literally felt like I was going to pass out or throw up. I'm always a nervous wreck, but I try my hardest not to show it. I was even more nervous because the professor who was grading me (and who is also my advisor) said I had such good grades beforehand and was expecting me to do really well. That just made me more nervous because I didn't want to let him down! I'm such a perfectionist that I am never satisfied, even if my grade is a 90-something. I will only be satisfied with a 100, which is obviously really hard to get. Anyone else have this problem? It is a really horrible mindset to have, and I'm trying not to beat myself up over grades that are still good. I'm definitely happy that I did a lot better on this practical than on my last one! I ended up running out of time on the last one because I talked/explained too much.
I have to go study for my Pathophysiology exam now, but I'm going to leave you with this picture of Ryan Gosling that I found online with the heart auscultation locations! Haha!
Who doesn't love Ryan Gosling??
-C
The most difficult class for me has been Gross Anatomy. I mean...I'm doing okay in the class I guess, but I just hate getting anything below an A. I did really well in my anatomy class in undergraduate, so it just really bothers me. I think it is a combination of the professor and the amount of material in such a short period of time (...but mostly the professor...since there is a lot of material in the other classes and I'm doing well in them). I definitely recommend reviewing anatomy before starting PA school, especially if it has been awhile since you took the class in undergrad! If I had done that, maybe I wouldn't be having such a hard time in the class. I'm just glad that we will be done with Gross Anatomy after this semester!
We had our second Physical Diagnosis lab practical earlier today. It was on the Lungs/Thorax, Heart/Peripheral Vascular, and Abdomen. We had 30 minutes to do it. I did pretty well on it, but I made a couple stupid mistakes because I was so nervous. I literally felt like I was going to pass out or throw up. I'm always a nervous wreck, but I try my hardest not to show it. I was even more nervous because the professor who was grading me (and who is also my advisor) said I had such good grades beforehand and was expecting me to do really well. That just made me more nervous because I didn't want to let him down! I'm such a perfectionist that I am never satisfied, even if my grade is a 90-something. I will only be satisfied with a 100, which is obviously really hard to get. Anyone else have this problem? It is a really horrible mindset to have, and I'm trying not to beat myself up over grades that are still good. I'm definitely happy that I did a lot better on this practical than on my last one! I ended up running out of time on the last one because I talked/explained too much.
I have to go study for my Pathophysiology exam now, but I'm going to leave you with this picture of Ryan Gosling that I found online with the heart auscultation locations! Haha!
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| Image: Pinterest.com |
Who doesn't love Ryan Gosling??
-C
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3 Week Update + Easy Dinner Recipe!
Friday, September 11, 2015
Hi everyone! Sorry it has been awhile since I have posted. I have been trying to adjust to the workload, and I had my mom and sister visit me last weekend. I cannot believe that I have been in classes for only 3 weeks now! It feels like it has been so much longer, especially since so much information is thrown at us in such a short period of time. We have 3 exams next week, so I'm nervous about that. Hopefully I will do well!
In our program, we are fortunate enough to be able to dissect human cadavers for anatomy. It is definitely a little weird at first, especially when seeing their faces, but you get used to it. Last week, we had to peel the skin of the face back in order to reveal the muscles underneath. This week, we went down deeper into the face and neck areas to reveal muscles, such as the sternocleidomastoid, and nerves, such as the long buccal and lingual nerves.
Ok...let's move on to the recipe! My dad actually came up with this recipe. We usually add mushrooms in there as well, but I didn't have any on hand.
You will need:
In our program, we are fortunate enough to be able to dissect human cadavers for anatomy. It is definitely a little weird at first, especially when seeing their faces, but you get used to it. Last week, we had to peel the skin of the face back in order to reveal the muscles underneath. This week, we went down deeper into the face and neck areas to reveal muscles, such as the sternocleidomastoid, and nerves, such as the long buccal and lingual nerves.
Ok...let's move on to the recipe! My dad actually came up with this recipe. We usually add mushrooms in there as well, but I didn't have any on hand.
You will need:
- Virgin or Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
- Pasta (I used gluten free penne)
- Zucchini (I used baby zucchini that I found at Trader Joe's. Aren't they so cute??)
- Pancetta (I used "Citterio" brand. I've tried Boar's Head brand before and it tasted like salty plastic.)
- Salt
- Pepper
- Garlic Powder
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Post-Move Update
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
Time has really flown by! I can't believe it has already been a little over a week since I moved! I've been spending most of my time organizing, running errands, trying to learn where everything is (thank you "Maps" on iPhone!), and relaxing before school starts. It has been so weird not being at home. I miss having our fuzzy cat, Gabby, to cuddle with. I'm definitely more homesick than I thought I would be. I have also learned that I need to have a routine in order to thrive. One would think that it would be nice not having to work or go to school for a couple weeks, but I don't really like it. Anyway...this past weekend I went on a mini adventure with my friend to a nearby cathedral and the beach in Ocean City, New Jersey. It was my first time visiting a beach in New Jersey, and I couldn't believe how crowded it was! I thought it got crowded at the beach we always visit in Maine, but no...that is nothing compared to New Jersey. It was fun, though, to relax and hang out at the beach.
Here are a couple pictures from the weekend (for more photos, make sure to follow me on Instagram: @chelsealynnel).
The struggles of trying to take the perfect Instagram photo...
Here are a couple pictures from the weekend (for more photos, make sure to follow me on Instagram: @chelsealynnel).
The struggles of trying to take the perfect Instagram photo...
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| Photo: @_njap_ |
Wearing one of my favorite Triangl bikinis.
Hope you all had a great weekend as well!
-C
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| Photo: @_njap_ |
Hope you all had a great weekend as well!
-C
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